Myriam Martinez, a 52-year-old woman who was fatally shot Thursday, was remembered by her brother for her unique personality.
NEWARK -- The brother of a 52-year-old city woman who was fatally shot earlier this week stood outside her apartment this morning, watching as people walked by a makeshift memorial of candles he had set up.
Angel Martinez, 42, propped up the cardboard box and placed two candles in it after his sister Myriam Martinez -- a mother of two and grandmother of three -- was shot and killed late Thursday outside her apartment near the corner of Clinton Place and West Runyon Street.
Myriam Martinez, who was known by many as "Cana," a nickname she was given for her lighter hair as a baby, was shot about 11:41 p.m. Thursday and died less than an hour later, authorities said.
"How you going to kill a woman?" Angel Martinez asked, wearing a black Oakland Raiders hat while staring at the memorial. "She was funny, outspoken, a good person all around. ... Why it happened, I don't know."
Newark shootings leave 3 dead, 1 wounded in less than 24 hours
Myriam Martinez leaves behind two daughters, both in their 20s, and three grandchildren, all boys, who were the "loves of her life," her brother said.
Angel Martinez said his sister lived in the neighborhood for two years. She would often help out at the grocery store attached to her apartment by making sandwiches, even though she didn't work there, he said.
The two were born in Puerto Rico, but their family moved to Paterson where they were raised, he said.
"We ended up here in Newark -- I guess that was a bad move," said Angel Martinez, who lives down the street from the scene and said he heard the gunshots that fatally wounded his sibling.
As he leaned against his vehicle near the memorial, three investigators got out of a car and began knocking on doors. One said he could not comment about the ongoing investigation.
"Yeah, it's the police," one said on the phone after knocking on the building Myriam Martinez lived in. "Can you come downstairs? We need to speak to you."
Myriam Martinez was one of three people shot and killed in the city within a 24-hour period this week.
Authorities identified one of the victims as 24-year-old Dondre Williams, who was shot in the 200 block of Keer Avenue and died at University Hospital at 4:30 a.m. Friday, police said.
Officials also said another man died Friday afternoon after he was shot near Parkview Terrace and Goldsmith Avenue.
As of Saturday afternoon, no one has been arrested or charged for any of the three killings, said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly, of the prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit.
Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka. Find NJ.com on Facebook and Twitter.